With regards to Ti West’s pastiche trilogy of era horror, it will become a matter of personal preference which period and whose thematic content resonates strongest. I found this to be the weakest of the three, with last year’s Pearl being exceptional, X being above average, and this entry being… Meh. West's schtick is his ability to perfectly mimic the aesthetic and feel of a particular era, but the content within is never quite as clever or profound as it wishes. This film perfectly apes the lurid 80’s aesthetic and leans heavily into sexploitation, gratuitous vibrant gore and satirizing the Hollywood machine, but nothing really connects. The stacked cast is excellent, with Mia Goth once again being the centerpiece and absolute acting powerhouse. She infuses a relatively unlikable character with sympathy and steely will, determined to succeed in a rigged game despite all obstacles and at all cost. Unfortunately this film is rather predictable with regards to its ‘mystery’, and skews far too heavily into nostalgia ridden style over substance. The themes feel underdeveloped and far too cliched examinations of ambition in pursuit of stardom, and the final act seems to simply go off into unrelated directions, despite the killer’s identity being telegraphed far in advance. There are some very stylish kills, but nothing particularly lands or resonates with regards to why it should matter to the characters or viewers. At best, this film is a wonderfully shot homage to 80’s slasher flicks, but for those not blinded to the nostalgia, this will feel like an empty void with no substance, and as a capper to this particular trilogy, quite a letdown.
MaXXXine (2024)